At this year's Alzheimer's Association International Conference, 14-19 July 12, in sunny Vancouver, Canada, some sessions unfolded, somewhat lonesomely, in large, sparsely populated lecture halls. This could not have been more different for a session titled "Collaboration for Alzheimer's Prevention: Common Issues Across Presymptomatic Treatment Trials," People streamed into the room long after every seat was filled, and the crowd standing around them grew so large that fire safety rules forced closure of the room, resulting in dozens of conference attendees being turned away. For those who were shut out, here is a summary of what went on inside. First a new group called CAP introduced itself, then three prevention initiatives gave a brief update and stood for extended discussion with the audience.

The ongoing prevention initiatives - A4, DIAN, and API - are separate, but interconnected, long-term projects. Their leaders have formed an umbrella group they call Collaboration for Alzheimer's Prevention (CAP). "Why another acronym?" a consortia-weary reader might well ask. In short, CAP exists as a forum for A4, DIAN and API to maintain a regular dialogue as they plan and implement their preclinical treatment trials. One goal is to avoid duplicating effort on their part and on the part of the many outside partners necessary to pull off public-private trials.